# Two looks side by side, caption asks who won

A beauty format, measured November 8, 2026 by Volume. https://tryvolume.app/working/beauty/two-looks-side-by-side-caption-asks-who-won

Cut between two options and ask viewers in the caption to vote for one. It worked for 3 accounts, with a median of 12x their usual reach. Type: Editing trick. Seen as: Talking head.

## Why it works

A binary comparison invites an instant comment vote. These posts also repeat the same angle and pose so the difference is easy to judge.

## How to make it

1. Show option A and option B from identical angles
2. Cut between them quickly
3. Ask 'which one is better?' or 'who won'

## Hook formula

[option A] vs... [option B], which one is better?

## Examples

- @zhilabeauty (324K followers, Instagram talking head): 33x their usual views. Hook: “So this is my makeup, this is my signature look” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DfAZnias5f2/)
- @pattygaffxoxo (73K followers, Instagram talking head): 16x their usual views. Hook: “without layers vs...” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DeVOKx1JhZN/)
- @kailawenn (496K followers, Instagram talking head): 2.7x their usual views. Hook: “hair theory.” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DdtgNDaKlzU/)

More beauty formats: https://tryvolume.app/working/beauty.md

## Get the full library

The full library has every post, format and hook in beauty, plus long-running Meta ads, and your AI agent can search it over MCP. The library comes with Volume Core and Pro, from $29.99 a month, and every plan starts with a 3-day free trial. Start a free trial: https://tryvolume.app/library

Agents: add Volume's MCP server (https://app.tryvolume.app/api/mcp) and call `search_library(shelf: "formats", niche: "Beauty")` for every format, `search_library(shelf: "posts", niche: "Beauty")` for examples with transcripts and scripts.

## How this is measured

- Every post is compared with its own account's usual reach, not with other accounts. "14x their usual" means the post got 14 times the median views of that account's recent posts.
- TikTok videos and Instagram Reels are measured on views. Instagram carousels have no view count, so they are measured on likes against the account's usual likes, and say so.
- A post makes the library at 2x its account's usual or more. A format is a repeatable move (what is said or shown, or how it is edited) that several accounts used in breakout posts. It is listed here once it worked for 3 or more different accounts.
- Formats rank on how many accounts they worked for and how far above usual, damped so a fluke on one tiny account cannot outrank a format that worked for ten.

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